The present invention relates to a gun disabling mechanism and, more particularly, to a gun disabling mechanism that disables both the trigger and hammer of a gun and can be activated only by an authorized user.
Gun misuse has been steadily on the rise in the United States. It has been theorized that such misuse is typically the product of unauthorized acquisition and use of handguns and the like such as by theft. It would thus be desirable to provide a gun disabling mechanism that is tamper-proof such that if tampered with would permanently disable the gun and that can only be deactivated by an authorized user.
In a typical handgun assembly, a trigger is coupled with a rebound slide and a lifting mechanism to a hammer that effects firing of the gun. As the trigger is pulled, the lifting mechanism of the trigger assembly rotates the gun cylinder (in a revolver type gun) and cocks the hammer for firing. After firing, the rebound slide serves to return the trigger and lifting mechanism to a home position for subsequent firing. In some gun models, so-called double-action revolvers, the hammer itself can be cocked and possibly fired without actuating the trigger.
The gun disabling mechanism according to the invention disables both the hammer and the rebound slide, thereby preventing both hammer firing and trigger firing, with a disabler block selectively engaging a hammer strut and a rebound slide block engaged with the hammer and rebound slide, respectively. A locking mechanism is coupled with the disabler block that slides the disabler block between the locked position and the unlocked position. The locking mechanism is preferably configured such that only an authorized user can displace the disabler block from its locked position to its unlocked position.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a gun disabling mechanism is provided for selectively disabling a gun including a hammer, a hammer strut that drives the hammer via a spring, a trigger, and a rebound slide engageable with the trigger. The gun disabling mechanism includes a rebound slide block selectively engageable with the rebound slide. The housing supports the rebound slide block and the hammer strut. A disabler member is disposed in the housing and is displaceable between a locked position engaging the rebound slide block and the hammer strut and an unlocked position disengaged from the rebound slide block and the hammer strut. The mechanism may also include a key actuator including a disabler member driving part disposed within the housing and a key receiving part disposed outside of the housing. The driving part engages the disabler member for displacing the disabler member between the locked position and the unlocked position, and the receiving part is shaped to receive a key for controlling a position of the disabler member. The receiving part preferably includes a pair of locking holes, wherein the disabling mechanism includes a pair of locking pins disposed in corresponding apertures in the housing. The locking pins are urged into engagement with the locking holes by corresponding springs disposed in the apertures for preventing the key actuator from being displaced. The key for controlling the position of the disabling member includes a pair of prongs corresponding to the pair of locking holes and the pair of locking pins therein such that the prongs deflect the locking pins from the locking holes in the key actuator receiving part, thereby enabling the key actuator to be displayed.
The disabler member driving part of the key actuator preferably includes at least a pair of notches along a circumferential arc segment thereof. The disabling mechanism also includes a bearing disposed within the housing adjacent the key actuator that is urged into engagement with a facing one of the notches. The disabler member preferably includes a ramped surface facing the rebound slide block in the housing such that the ramped surface deflects the rebound slide block when the disabler member is displaced from the unlocked position to the locked position. In preferred forms, the gun disabling mechanism is sized to be integrated into a handle of the gun.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the gun disabling mechanism for a gun includes a housing supporting at least one component necessary for firing the gun, and a disabler member disposed in the housing and being selectively engageable with the at least one component. In this context, the at least one component may include a hammer strut that drives a hammer via a spring and/or a rebound slide assembly engageable with the trigger, which assembly includes a rebound slide block selectively engageable with a rebound slide.
In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method of selectively disabling a gun with a gun disabling mechanism includes the steps of securing at least one component necessary for firing the gun within a housing in the gun, and disposing a disabler member in the housing that is selectively engageable with the at least one component.